Just wanted to post a Happy Birthday wish to Lea - have an amazing one! :D

Namaste
Karen 

mood: busy

Pretty shitty day, what can I tell ya. Started with having to go to traffic court...weeeee, fun...NOT! Work has been non-stop crap all day - nothin' good to say there. My debit card isn't working again so no cash, no lunch, friends aren't around today, my Best Buy order for HOFD got f'ing cancelled as did an order for some beautiful photos of my niece and nephews...again I say a vehement "what-EVER" - I'm so over it (goddamn tech gremlins). I could REALLY use the next 1/2-hour or so to go by so I can go home.

mood: bitchy music: WHATever...

Weeeeeeeeeeeee, I'm home home HOME!! Not too much to say at the moment, just popping in to give that Tori link I promised! :) Enjoy!!!

http://s26.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=14O8TNEPQ1J2H3F1MPMDOQZD59

Okaaaaaay, not too bad overall - am totally FRUUUUSTRATED with TSSMC, though. Totally frustrated and so very over it all. ( http://www.turner-syndrome-us.org/ in case anyone's interested - TSSMC is the Midwest Chapter). Gawd, I was so excited to get the editing post for the newsletter, and whaddo I get but grief, huh? LOL I'm fighting the uphilliest battle to get the damn thing out each time, and what gets me most is that things happen like what happened this morning. The president FINALLY gets me her submission with my facing a Friday deadline. Two days before - that's so uncool given the massive amount of time she had to do it, and that she is, HELLO, the president of the Chapter. Hey, no problem, I'm gonna save the day as alway with these guys...but grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So on the cool side, I went to pick up the lastest Tori Amos ( http://www.toriamos.com), and it is soooooooooo very purty!! :D Oh my god, "Sweet the Sting" makes ya wanna grab the very first decent (or maybe indecent *wink wink*) male specimen you see and go at it...totally totally sensual. I'll post the song from home as I forgot to bring the disc with me, dangit.

When I was there I also so excellent-looking special editions of The Ring and The Forgotten which I will be aaaall over as soon as I collect the time and money.

What else...oh, I totally checked out the two or three Aya links that Shin-chan (via Shira) gave me and HOLY...omigod the girl indeed rocks - I loved the site and style and the sound clips. I really think Baghdad Sky'll make a GREAT addition to my collection. I can safely say that I don't think I've got anything like her music. Can't wait for the weekend to play with my iPod and hear the great stuff Shin-shin posted from the two Israeli bands and of course the J-ROCK!!!! :D Ooooo, and as long as I've got my 'Pod going I can upload the Milla demos - woooofreakin'hoo!! And may hit Pita Inn for that felafel - I'm craving it so bad now!

Oh, also, welcome, as ever, to day gazillion of missing seeing my baby on da tee-vee or da mooooo-vees. What can I say, the guy's had me from "Thebes...city of the living" - FIVE YEARS AGO...I'm SOOOO very smitten-kitten -Where the hell are my UC:Undercover/Presidio Med DVD's from Raven??? O.o LOL

music: None - I'm at work *sobs* LOL

Hey Shin-shin, if you're ok to respond to this (WHEN you're ok with it, I know you've got a crapload of stuff to deal with, sweetie), I just wanted to know how I can put text next to my user pic, like you have those lyrics next to yours. I'd love to put something there, but looking at any LJ help, I'm really not clear.

So sorry, babe - I WILL get better at all this...good luck with everything! *cuddlyhugforluck*

::popping 2 Advil:: Curious...and hungry and headache-y...maaaaaaan, I's just fallin' apart this mo'nin' - LOLOL Got my ok night's sleep in, though - yay.

So Shin-shin let me know the rocker chick in Shira's LJ is Aya - too cool! (tankees baby! *hug*) Being a...well, chick...myself, I just think women who can be beautiful and strong and can rock are just da bomb. If I have it right in looking at borders.com and bestbuy.com, she's the one who did the album "Strange Flower" - am I correct on that one, Yael-le? If so, from what I've read (can't catch the samples until I get home...IF my laptop decides to cooperate), I think you'll love Anggun too - she's from Indonesia and she does BEAUTIFUL, atmospheric stuff. Here a link on her: http://www.anggunworld.com/english/
Or the official site is: http://www.anggun.com - Butchya gotta read French since the English site ain't up yet - LOL! The existing site is BEAUTIFUL, though - well worth a gander, sez I. :D Her song "Snow on the Sahara" aaaalways makes me think of Oded - in fact I'm working it into my "Changing Skies" story, and it's gonna be gaaaaawgeous!

mood: Me want know more! music: Anggun - Snow on the Sahara

Aaaaaaah, I'm takin' a deep breath - no big laptop issues so I can post, yaaaaaaaaay! Anyhow, pretty peaceful and relatively content. Got stuff done here and at the office (ok, I know, boooooooooooooring...), and my only worries (not to downplay, but...) are financial (yeah, so what the hell else is new - LOL).

Tossed and turned, like, ALL night last night, so I sure hope I do the sleeping thing tonight, but that's neither here nor there, nu?

I have no idea what "triggered" it, but driving home today, I was SO overcome with a desire to talk with my Bubbe...god, she's the only family member I've ever known that knew how to say simply "It'll be alright, sheinkeit" - NO judgements, no sympathy-with-major strings...I haven't had that in my life since she left us.

Lastly...well...major props, I guess, to lovely Milla and her music, which just plain soothed me when I really needed it. Check it all out at http://www.millaj.com Also, here's hoping that when my baby Oded's new show starts a Fehr friend can he'p a woman-on-fire out and record it all...I just can't be without him for long...

B'Boker, all - lilah tov! :D

mood: relieved music: Milla - Divine Comedy

Ugh...a very little jealous and a VERY LOT pissed - dammit, LJ went into read-only right in the middle of my trying to post...the NERVE - LOL! Oh well, kol beseder.

Anyway, today being so...bleeeech...I think losin' myself in J-rock and awesome veggie fare with Shin-shin and Shira sounds like a perfect ticket to bliss. Giiiiiiiiiiirls, I know some felafel right here that's as good or better than I had in Eretz Yisrael, I swear!! Ya gotta come! :D Have a blast for me, ladies!

And hey, just outta my insatiable curiousity, Shira, who's that incred rocker chick at your LJ? She looks like whatever it is, she MEANS it and I LOVE that! I visited it from the link in Yael's post (I just clicked on your "milkshake" handle - hope you don't mind! :D )

L'hiraot!

mood: aw, just a bit - LOL

Aaaaaaaalrighty then, Shin-Shin, here are those songs for you, baby - I really hope you enjoy. I'm so excited to be sharing music with ya!

Here's "Chai" :
http://s27.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0L97PI049948A1J6AV3C45J1KW

Heeeeere's "Yerushalayim shel Zahav"

http://s27.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0CTQOQQKHYAEB1FFTGYCZCO5SU

Here be a li'l fun with "Dodi Li"

http://s27.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3AISWRQPRV0RU28U08W8N3KB5C

And for good measure, here's "Hevel" from Pharoah's Daughter :)

mood: bouncy music: Shimu Na and Out of the Reeds

Okaaaaaaaaaay, here we go - just to see if this is workin', here's a FABULOUS song by Kylie Minogue called...Slow. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm... LOL

http://s25.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0ZAA5ZGFWSMDM0HQGBLV1T1DGX


*crossing fingers tight*

mood: Hopin' this'll work! music: Kylie - Slow

Oh I am so hatin' on this thing right now - LOLOL!!! Ok, Shin-chan sweetheart, I'm halfway there - I've gone to yousendit.com and I've got an AWESOME "test-song" ready to go. But for the LIFE of me I can't figure out how to load it to my LJ. I'm SO sorry to be an idiot but heeeeeeeeeelp!!! LOLOL O.o!!!

On a fab note, though, I found the other user icons you made and I love them to death!! See, I'm using the 3rd one... *beams proudly and gratefully - GLOMP!* =D

mood: confused

I just gotta say, I'm SO loving this layout Shin-chan did here - I just look at that Ziyi background pic and she's so totally peaceful, so I can't help but catch that. I most like that quality about her, and to have it also, even for a moment, is sublime. =)

Just blabbin...LOLOL

mood: peaceful music: Anything from HOFD

The most beautiful thing about meeting up with Shin-Shin-chan (I just love saying that, it's so CUTE!) is that I'm reconnecting with a deep, special part of myself that was sort of dormant. Now I'm not talking about the FUN J-rock-junkie-to-be side of me althought that's true ( :P LOLOL), but the Jewish side of me - the side of me that goes way beyond and before I even existed. What's even more, it's the side of me manifested in wonderful people like Yael who are THERE, in my Homeland, living, breathing and keeping it in their hearts and souls. So today I put Shimu Na into my car's CD player after a pretty good while sitting in my CD tower. Man, I blasted "Chai" like it was "YMCA" or something - I'm sure I looked REDICULOUS and I don't give damn!LOL The words (this song I do understand) and the totally exuberant arrangement lift me way waaaaaaay up.

"Chai chai chai, ken ani od chai! Zeh hashir shel saba, shar etmol m'abah, v'hayom ani..."

I might need your help to do it, but I GOTTA get you this song sweetie! Oh, and don't worry if you don't know Shimu Na - it's my brother's acapella group, Listen Up!. Shimu Na! is their first album so they decided to self-title - LOL! :D There's also a KILLAH version of "Dodi Li" done to an arrangement of the old TV western Ponderosa's theme which is TOO damn fun...and that brings me to my absolute fave, "Yerushalayim shel Zahav". It starts out traditionally, with my sister-in-law doing a single vocal, and then there's a bridge and it changes to a REALLY stirring military version. More voices, with one super-gorgeous male voice (Ron's) soaring over it all. I swear, chaverah, I can imagine being a soldier (well, as much as I possibly could from here, I understand that) coming upon Jerusalem, say, at sunrise or sunset as the sun sets the city on this gorgeous golden fire, with this song drumming in my head, thinking "this...THIS is what you're fighting for". Does this make sense? I've got to send you this one too, trust me! :D I'll upload them to my hard drive and you can let me know where to go from there, 'kay? Oh! BTW, the group's site is http://www.jewishsong.com . If you look at Vocalists, Steve is my brother and Rebecca is his wife, my sis-in-law. Tah daaaaaah!! *flourish* :D Ron, alas, is not with the group anymore since he moved to Ecuador for awhile - I've known him since high school and I so miss him and his incredible voice. He's such a rare, gentle soul, too. Sooooooooooooo cool to have him "immortalized" on Shimu Na!

As for the- uh - darker part of the day...hey, it's over. I forgave and let it go and that's just whatcha gotta do sometimes, huh? :D

Shin-shin, I absolutely visited your LJ - I didn't wanna interrupt the wonderful flow ya had going there, but ENJOY that shirt and Shira, girl! :D And I so feel you on missing your friend - we all have some of that in our lives. I'm sure she's missing you too, and that you'll "see" her again soon. In the meantime, it you want an ear you got me, babe! *hugs*

I dunno how to close other than saying "Am Yisrael chai" with all my being. B'boker, chaverah! Lilah tov for now - LOL :D

mood: pretty invincible music: Shimu Na - "Chai" and "Yerushalayim shel Zahav"

Invisible and shut down - no worse way to feel as far as I'm concerned. My lord, my lord...thank God for Shin-chan and LJ, or I don't know what the hell I'd do.

Dammit I'm a deeply good, loving, consciencious, hard-working, ethical, committed person who really tries do the right thing. But I'm human...this is, apparently, not nearly enough in the eyes of some - and this is someone who's supposed to love me unconditionally. It was, as it always is, a very small mistake which I immediately owned, corrected and it harmed no-one - and I was well prepared to move on from it too and even my client never batted an eye. But nooooooooooo, to some it was an invitation to personally attack me and and make me feel worse than shit. Try to confront the person and say how much it's hurt me? Nah, no way - I'll be ignored or further attacked - you don't win with this person, or even hope to be heard. I'm not exaggerating, it's the gospel truth.

Dammit, I had so many other things to say here - BETTER things, but they'll have to wait until I cool down. This has crowded it out for now. I'm sorry - it's not a permanent situation, thank goodness, and I'll be back with happier stuff, I promise.

mood: REAAAALLY music: None - Sorry, I'm too furious

Welcome to day two of...my life. I'm in that lethargic hour now - about 3:30pm. Heading to the home stretch of the workday, yaaaaaaaaaaaay - LOL.

Not a helluva bad day all in all, and if you're seeing this, Shin-chan, chaverah sheli, it's all the better for the little moments I can share with you. Besides, you're a RIOT - LOL!! *hugs*

So I get up this morning and with the talking I've been doing with h'chaverah sheli b'Yerushalayim, I HAD to pull out my one commercial Hebrew CD, witch is an incredible pseudo-klezmer/folk group called Pharoah's Daughter. (They're at http://www.pharaohsdaughter.com/ if you wanna take a gander Yael-le sweetie - sound clips and all)

I get in my car and start the CD player - the first song, "Hevel" is be FAR my favorite for so many reasons. Um...er, but it's been so long I forgot the biggest reason: the song just...well...makes me so very very hot, what can I say. I'm a writer in my spare time, and I swear to you, it fired (perfect word!) an entire story all by its lonesome. I'm a deeply deeply romantic person, and going solely by the instrumentation itself, profane as it may be of me to say, it is EXACTLY what I imagine making truly good, truly connected love is like. Insistant, inevitable, longing, a little rough but impossibly beautiful, building, ebbing and flowing...see what I mean? Maybe it's not so crazy - the melodies and ideas that Basya (the lead vocalist) uses are ancient. And isn't sex the most ancient and spiritual connection between man and woman? Yup, and isn't music the most ancient expression for, and affector of men and women...so in a way it makes total sense. Please TELL ME IT MAKES TOTAL SENSE - LOLOL! O.o (heehee, I learned that face from YOU, Shin-chan! :P (that one I already know - LOL) Anyhoo, so that was sorta an interesting way to start the day - whoa! All that...uh...energy and no one to attack, hahaha!!

On a bit more serious, much less "profane" (Although I don't happen to think sex is profane at all, actually) note, the birth of my new nephew, along with a passing comment a woman made on the radio show I listen to, got me really thinking about a woman's place in Judaism. There's such beauty in that - lighting the candles on Shabbat, the three-fold blessing for daughters that they grow as Rebecca and Rachel and Leah, and I'm sure there are countless more. Buuuuut, there's another side and it's so difficult to take sometimes. I don't know how it popped into my head - I guess things just do. I was taking a shower before work yesterday and a little voice said "your brother is your daddy's pride, his KADDISH...so what on earth are you?" Such a very cruel voice...and very true. As much as women are by far, I think, stronger, and the power behind every throne, it is forever a man's world in the most basic ways. And yet, with all this desire for sons...how the hell do you think men are going to beget more men without...WOMEN?? Uh, hello, they won't - and let's face it, if men had to be pregnant, give birth and populate the world the world would be unpopulated!! And as Shakespeare says, "The world must be peopled!". So we couldn't have that now, could we - LOL! If it didn't piss me way off and make me quite sad, I'd be laughing myself silly with the irony of it all.

But the truth of all truths? I'm a woman, my best friends are women, and I wouldn't be anything else ever. I adore men, and they draw me in and one day I'll "cleave unto" one forever, but women are WONDEROUS creatures all in all.

See, I TOLDJA this journaling thing was coming back to me! :D

mood: ok, and a little hot... music: Pharoah's Daughter - Hevel

Well, here I am, my first entry here at Live Journal. Omigod, how Freudian - get this, I first typed "Love" Journal - LOL! Hey, I guess that makes sense, as I have maaaaaad love for Shinya-chan, the blessed soul who led me here, and that's a helluva good place to start.

I'm not gonna go on and on tonight, but I gotta say how easily it's all coming back - the journaling thing, that is. Goodness, I think it's been maybe YEARS since I journaled, and that was the traditional pen-and-notebook kind. Honestly, there's still something very special about that method in my mind, but it sure does work here just as well - witness the words flying through my fingers with my not doing a DAMN thing. :D

Suffice to say my first day here at LJ has been mixed as always, but in the end I think I'm just feeling blessed and grateful. For one more day here on this usually-glorious earth, for friends and family - no matter how flawed and funky they can be. Hey, I am the DEFINITION of flawed and funky, so I cast no stones. Lord knows if you catch me in five minutes I may be in a totally different place, and being human there's not aspect of my life I can call perfect, or even totally OK, but you know what, in the end that's cool because, cliche as it is, how could I appreciate the perfect without the important, right??

Wicked-mad props and love to all y'all - see ya soon,

Cara-chan

mood: cool and exhausted music: Ani DiFranco - anything! :)